Description:	Digipak CD on Mu-Nest
	Format:	CD
	Genre(s):	Electronica / IDM
	Label:	Mu-Nest
	Price:	£9.29
	Availability:	Sold out / currently unavailable. Sorry!

4
...according to our Phil on 03 September 2009.

The first thing in me pile this week is a CD by Starke on Malaysia's own Mu Nest label. The opener of 'A Letter From Yesterday' is an upbeat number not a million miles away from Lemon Jelly... ie it's all spritely and happy sounding. It's kind of misleading though as the rest of the album straddles that neo classical, new age electronica, electro acoustic thing which labels like Mu Nest and Schole specialize in. It's all very lovely as well. Mellow electronics which act as suitable background noise/ wallpaper while I'm going about my many daily chores. It's music which serves a purpose (for me anyway). It's not a million miles away from State River Widening and that kind of floaty generic melodic electronica. The songs sound well crafted and they sound like they know what they're doing. Man, I just can't stop farting today. That aside this is oficially very lovely.

Love this record? Hate it? Tell us.

Sound clips for A Letter From Yesterday by Starke: on CD at Norman Records UK. CD, Mu-Nest, mnc005, £9.29.

What their label says...

Arriving with the warmth and brightness of the rain showers of summer, ‘A Letter From Yesterday’, the debut album by Starke, is altogether a document of that inner peacefulness, the encircling captivation of the undisturbed, and pleasant moments of everyday. Consisting of members Shunichiro Fujimoto, known for his glistening, acoustic-ambient magnificence as Fjordne, and Yushi Mori, renowned as an extremely talented and unique visionary of percussion, through bands such as Meteor Kishodai and Under Groove, the two artists have come together to produce an astounding work displaying tenderness, the understanding of reflection, in a comforting melody of those peaceful moments of yesterdays.

Originally created by the duo as an escape to the gloomy weekends of bad weather, secluded inside homes, Starke have created not only warmth from this solitude, but a presence of something more welcoming, of the existence of a softhearted surrounding, soaking with that imagination of wishing, of those experiences we all hope for. Field recordings and found sounds add dashes of realism into acoustic environments as they transform into moving moments, kept close, while drum rhythms swell in soft anthems of lightness, and exploration. Such is the upswing of these passing emotions, given even more consistent beauty through the beautifully-lended vocals of Fuyu, allowing everything its own place, and trace in tranquility.

Displaying an endearing spirit throughout the albums’ existence, ‘A Letter From Yesterday’ touches the moments of these endless days, whether staying in the comfort of a home, or entering the outside world. Upon visiting the outside again, after a rain, everything feels so much different, with sparkling rejuvenation, and a promising hope of the beauty for the future. Further bathed in pianos, whirls of strings and dotted with processed, soothing pops, Starke entrust listeners with their experience of amiability, character, and spirit, producing ‘A Letter From Yesterday’, which is a just and beautiful, exemplary model of the splendor of everyday life.

Will Thomas Long (Celer)

Tracklisting:

01. a touch of moonlight
02. again
03. enter
04. leave the cat alone
05. waking up
06. in the midst
07. may
08. yet another task
09. with
10. cast away